24/7 Wall St., a financial blog published for investors, ranked states based on "data sets ranging from debt rating agency reports to violent crime rates, unemployment trends and median income." The analysis included the impact of state policies on its residents.

The analysis is meant for investors; it is black-and-white and based on numbers. But it doesn't appear to take into account quality of life for residents or quality of workforce for potential businesses to locate in the state. We doubt a Nike-type business would survive in Wyoming or North Dakota, the number one and two ranked states. Workers with corporate skills are rare there, and it would be difficult to lure a large workforce to a home where the buffalo roam.

24/7 Wall St. concluded:States can control their own destinies. Well-run states have a great deal in common with well-run corporations. Books are kept in balance. Investment is prudent. Debt is sustainable. Innovation is prized. Workers are well-chosen and well-trained. Executives are picked based on merit and not "politics."

Oregon is ranked below Washington (#15) but one spot above number 28 Idaho. Only Kentucky is worse-run than California, America's most notoriously financially strapped state.